Improved clothes-drier



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

M. HOTOHKISS, OF SHEBOYGAN FALLS, WISCONSIN.

IMPROVED CLOTHES-DRIER.

Specification forming part of Letters PatentNo. 54,727, dated May 15,1866.

elevation of the same with the arms folded.

My invention relates to that class of clothesracks which are providedwith a number of horizontal arms, foldingthe one above another againstthe wall to which they are attached, and when extended turning upon thesame axial bolt and remaining at different angles to the wall upon whichthey are snspended; and it consists, first, in a device to prevent thesaid arms from yielding or sagging downward at the outer ends whenweights `are placed upon them 5 and, second, in a device to keep themalways and automatically in place by forcing their connected ends uponand toward each other.

That others may understand theA construe tion and operation ot' myinvention, I will more particularly describe it.

A is the bed-plate, to which the arms B B are attached,and by which theyare connected to the wall or other support.

C O are two lugs projecting horizontally from the face of the bed-plateA, and between these two lugs the arms B are secured by a bolt, whichpasses through said lugs and through a hole at one'end of each of thearms, so that when the arms are thus connected they may movehorizontally upon said bolt as a pivot. i

It is evident that if the bars B receive no support while extended foruse, except such as is afforded by their pivot-bolt and the smallsupport which they afford each other, they must sag at their outer endswhen any Weight is placed thereon, for it is plain that each bar acts asa lever ofthe iirst order, and that the long arm is the whole length ofthe bar from the center of the bolt outward, and the short arm is merelythe thickness of the har at the point where traversed by the pivot-bolt.With this diversity it is apparent that the force against the pivot-boltmust be very great, and that the pivot-bolt or the bearing in the barmust suifer great wear.

My in vention is designed to remedy this Vdefect by supplying a rigidsupport at some little distance from the face of the bed-plate A, sothat the short arm of the lever may be lengthened and all strain beremoved from the pivot-bolt by transferring it to the lu g G, which isbetter able to bear it.

The rigid support alluded to consists of an are, D, which springs fromthe bed-plate A at one side, passes around to the other side, concentricto the pivot-bolt, and arranged in a series'of risers and treads, like aspiral stair. lhese treads and risers are in number to correspond to thenumber of arms, and are so disposed that when the arms are all properlydistended each shall rest upon one ot' the treads and be supportedthereby, as shown in Fig. 1. This are D then becomes the fulcruin uponwhich the arms B rest, and theupward i tendency ot' the end of the shortarm is entirely met by the lug O, and the ofiiice ot' the `pivot-bolt isentirely confined to its use as a pivot.

VThe are D is strengthened and supported at the ends where joined to thebed-plate by braces d, and other braces may be introduced to support thecentral or projeetin g portions of the arc, if found necessary.

The frequent folding and unfolding of the bars B will, by their.abrasion against each other in the region of the pivot-bolt, wear so jas to become loose. This mayin a measure be obviated by placing metallicwashers between the bars and around the pivot-bolt; but in orderperfectly to obviate all looseness at that point I place the strongspring E between the lower bar and the lug C. This spring may be made ofelastic, gum, wire, or otherwise, anda washer should be interposedbetween it and the lower bar. Its ofceis simply to press the bars upwardtoward each other, so that they may always be in contact.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, isfl. In combination with the swinging arms of a rackfor holding clothes while drying, the su pportin g-arc D, substantiallyas set forth 2. In combination with the swinging arms of a rack forholding clothes while drying, the spring E, substantially as and for thepurpose set forth.

M. D. HOTCHKISS.

Witnesses z G. S. GRAVES, L. D. Scofrfr.

